1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a movable wall which consists of individual door or wall segments or elements, which elements are used to enclose a building or a portion of the building. Such movable walls are thereby moved during conventional business hours out of their installed positions into a parked position on the side, or into what is sometimes termed a "railroad station". The door or wall elements are mounted so that they are suspended from a rail, which rail is fastened to the ceiling. The individual door or wall elements can include all-glass door panels which have a profile in the upper portion which is used for fastening, and a profile in the lower portion which is used for locking, or they can also include elements in frames. In the latter case, panes of glass are preferably installed inside the framed elements.
2. Background Information
A suspended movable wall consisting of individual elements is described in German Patent No. 40 41 925. The individual elements are thereby mounted on trucks, of which there are two on each individual element. Each truck is thereby fastened to a profile, which profile is attached in the upper portion of the element. These trucks are guided in a rail which is fastened to the ceiling. The ceiling rails are constructed so that the trucks are inside the rails in a manner which makes them essentially invisible to the user. Guide rollers on the side of the truck provide the correct guidance, and in addition to the guide rollers, there are also load-bearing or support rollers.
Such a movable wall is described, for example, in the documentation entitled "DORMA HSW-R". The glass panel facades in this document are used to provide secure protection for display windows, entrances to stores and restaurants and winter gardens against gusts of wind and rain. The individual elements can be moved into a parked position to conserve the available space and keep the elements out of the way during periods when the entrance is to be open. In this known application, the moving panels are not guided in the floor, which eliminates edges over which pedestrians can trip and places where dirt can accumulate. Locks, latches and other accessories can be located in a profile which is located near the floor and which is fastened to the individual element. The panels are thereby locked in place manually, i.e. in the floor there are sockets for latches and latch plates for the latches, or also for the locks whereby when a button on each individual retracted panel is actuated--after the close of business--these panels can be fastened securely in their installed position. This method of fixing the movable wall elements in place is very complex, time-consuming and expensive, because each panel must be fixed in place individually.
A lock for individual doors which are locked automatically by means of a locking bolt is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,143,760. The locking bolt which is inserted in the top frame of a door thereby works with a system of rotating levers which are spring-loaded. On the lever system, there is an actuator lever which projects out of the vicinity of the door jamb and which, when the door is placed in the closed position, simultaneously allows the bar to engage in a boring in the door panel. When the locking bolt is engaged in a socket in the door panel, the door panel is locked.